primary homework help sparta

Ancient Greece

City of sparta.

History >> Ancient Greece

Spartan - At the top of Spartan society was the Spartan citizen. There were relatively few Spartan citizens. Spartan citizens were those people who could trace their ancestry to the original people who formed the city of Sparta. There were a few exceptions where adopted sons who performed well in battle could be given citizenship.
Perioikoi - The perioikoi were free people who lived in Spartan lands, but were not Spartan citizens. They could travel to other cities, could own land, and were allowed to trade. Many of the perioikoi were Laconians who were defeated by the Spartans.
Helot - The helots were the largest portion of the population. They were basically slaves or serfs to the Spartans. They farmed their own land, but had to give half of their crops to the Spartans as payment. Helots were beaten once a year and were forced to wear clothing made from animal skins. Helots caught trying to escape were generally killed.
Boys were encouraged to steal food. If they were caught, they were punished, not for stealing, but for getting caught.
Spartan men were required to stay fit and ready to fight until the age of 60.
The term "spartan" is often used to describe something simple or without comfort.
The Spartans considered themselves to be direct descendents of the Greek hero Hercules.
Sparta was ruled by two kings who had equal power. There was also a council of five men called the ephors who watched over the kings.
Laws were made by a council of 30 elders which included the two kings.
Take a ten question quiz about this page.
Listen to a recorded reading of this page:

Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar
Skip to footer

KidsKonnect

Reading Comprehension Cause and Effect Context Clues Compare and Contrast

Noun Worksheets Writing Prompts Compound Words Figurative Language

The Wizard of Oz Hans Christian Andersen Types of Writing Text Structure

Literary Devices

Alliteration Hyperbole Metaphor Irony

Subject Verb Agreement Poetry Climax Rhyme

View all reading worksheets

Action Verbs Tragedy Transition Words Phonics

View all writing worksheets

Dramatic Irony Cacophony Anaphora Setting

View all literature worksheets

Abbreviations Transition Words Conclusion Situational Irony

View all literary device worksheets

Women’s History

Inspirational Women Women's History Month First Lady of the US Women's Equality Day International Women's Day

View all Women's History worksheets

American Revolution

American Revolution Patriots & Loyalists Patrick Henry Sons of Liberty

View all American Revolution worksheets

US Constitution US Independence Trail of Tears The Pilgrims

View all US History worksheets

Ancient History

Ancient China Ancient Mayan Ancient Rome Ancient Aztec

View all Ancient History worksheets

World History

Roaring Twenties Industrial Revolution Middle Ages The Renaissance

View all World History worksheets

Famous Wars

World War 1 World War 2 Vietnam War American Civil War

View all Famous War worksheets

Anne Frank Sally Ride Neil Armstrong Christopher Columbus

View all famous figure worksheets

Joe Biden Donald Trump Abraham Lincoln George Washington

View all President worksheets

Roald Dahl Dr Seuss JK Rowling Michael Morpurgo

View all author worksheets

Civil Rights

Rosa Parks Sojourner Truth Medger Evers Martin Luther King

Elvis Presley Johann Sebastian Bach Ella Fitzgerald Wolfgang Mozart

View all musician worksheets

Thomas Edison Albert Einstein Henry Ford Wright Brothers

View all inventor worksheets

Muhammad Ali Michael Jordan Jackie Robinson Jesse Owens

View all athlete worksheets

Nat Turner Ruby Bridges Harriet Tubman Booker T Washington Malcolm X

View all civil rights worksheets

Natural Wonders

River Nile Mount Everest Sahara Desert Mount Etna Ancient Pyramids Amazon River

Landmarks/Sights

Mount Rushmore Statue Of Liberty White House Stonehenge Great Wall of China Santa Fe Trail

New York Texas South Carolina Alaska Nevada Ohio

Australia United Kingdom China Canada Argentina Brazil

Mount Fuji Mississippi River Rocky Mountains Volcano Glacier The Great Barrier Reef

View all natural wonders worksheets

Hoover Dam Bermuda Triangle Leaning Tower Of Pisa Arc De Triomphe Golden Gate Bridge Colosseum

View all landmark worksheets

California Colorado Indiana Florida Washington Georgia

View all US state worksheets

Poland Greece Philippines Japan France India

View all country worksheets

September Topics

Labor Day Constitution Day Autumnal Equinox National Hispanic Heritage Month World War II 9/11 Little Rock Nine Crisis The Great Fire of London Treaty of Paris 1783 Reign of Terror

View all Seasonal worksheets

Social Emotional Learning

Morals and Values Self Management Ethics Depression Relationship Skills Self-Awareneess Self-Esteem Emotions and Feelings Goal-Setting Interpersonal Skills

View all Social-Emotional Learning worksheets

Celebrations

Easter Saint Patrick’s Day Valentines Day Chinese New Year Rosh Hashanah Thanksgiving Flag Day Cinco de Mayo Beginning Of Lent Yom Kippur View all Celebrations worksheets

Remembrance

Pearl Harbor Day Veterans’ Day Memorial Day Battle Of The Somme D-Day 9/11 Anzac Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day International Women’s Day Victoria Day View all Remembrance worksheets

Camels Fox Bears Penguin Wolf Beavers Mountain Lion Red Panda Snow Leopard White Tigers Silverback Gorilla Okapi

View all mammal worksheets

Marine Life

Crabs Starfish Fish Octopus Great White Shark Dolphin Walrus Narwhal Megalodon Shark Killer Whale Beluga Whale Lionfish

View all marine life worksheets

Insects/Invertebrates/Reptiles

Millipede Praying Mantis Ladybug Ants Spider Iguana Chameleon Komodo Dragon Lizard Bearded Dragon Gila Monster Snakes

View all insect worksheets

Eagle Peregrine Falcon Snowy Owl Emu Woodpecker Albatross Swan Quail Bald Eagle Hummingbird Peacock

View all Bird worksheets

Natural World

Avalanche Flood Tsunami Natural Disasters Fossils Ice Age

View all natural world worksheets

Earth Sciences

Water Cycle Global Warming Deciduous Forests Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Katrina Global Warming

View all earth science worksheets

Food Chain Fossils Photosynthesis Cells Ecosystem Plants

View all biology worksheets

Solar System Black Holes Eclipse Stars and Constellations The Moon Comets

View all space worksheets

Chemistry/Physics

Magnetism Graduated Cylinders Solid, Liquid, Gas Gravity Light Sound

View all science worksheets

Kangaroo Horse Bear Lion Lizard Octopus

View all animal worksheets

Addition Sentences Single Digital Addition Two-Digit Addition Three Digit Addition Repeated Addition

View all Addition Worksheets

Ordinal Numbers Cardinal Numbers Rounding Numbers Odd & Even Numbers Comparing Numbers

View all Numbers Worksheets

Counting Money Subtracting Money Change Money Coin Name & Value Calculate Change (Money)

View all Money Worksheets

Number Line Single Digit Subtraction Place Value Subtraction Sentences Input & Output Tables

View all Math Worksheets

Sparta Facts & Worksheets

Sparta was a warrior civilization in ancient greece and it functioned under an oligarchy kind of government., search for worksheets.

Download the Sparta Facts & Worksheets

Click the button below to get instant access to these worksheets for use in the classroom or at a home.

Download This Worksheet

This download is exclusively for KidsKonnect Premium members! To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download! Sign Me Up

Edit This Worksheet

Editing resources is available exclusively for KidsKonnect Premium members. To edit this worksheet, click the button below to signup (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start editing! Sign Up

This worksheet can be edited by Premium members using the free Google Slides online software. Click the Edit button above to get started.

Download This Sample

This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members! To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download! Sign Me Up

Table of Contents

Sparta was a warrior civilization in ancient Greece and it functioned under an Oligarchy kind of government. Spartan philosophy was positioned on loyalty to the state and military service. It reached the height of its power after overpowering rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BCE). Despite their military expertise, the Spartans’ supremacy was short-lived.

See the fact file below for more information on the Sparta or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Sparta worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Historical background.

Sparta, also known in ancient times as Lacedaemon, was a society of well-trained and professional warriors. They were always at war with Athens and Corinth, and figured prominently in two major battles – The Peloponnesian Wars and the Corinthian Wars. They were also mentioned in Greek Mythology as one the Greek Forces who joined the Trojan War when their king, Menelaus, started a war after Paris abducted his wife, Helen. It suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Thebans when they lost in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE, and this eventually lead to their decline.

Significant Events

Around 900 BCE, Sparta was founded in the Eurotas Valley of Laconia in the southeast Peloponnese.
In the late 800 BCE, it took control of Messenia, and its people were made to serve the Spartans. It seized its vast territory, making the polis or city state the largest in Greece. The subdued people of Laconia and Messenia became known as the perioikoi and were made to serve in the army of Sparta. There were also the helots, or the semi-enslaved farm workers, living on estates that the Spartans owned.
In 706 BCE, Spartan hero Phalantus founded the colony of Tarentum in Magna Graecia, on the southern coast in Apulia, Italy.
Around 700 BCE, the misunderstandings between the helots and citizens led to uprisings that added to Argos defeating Sparta at Hysiae in 669 BCE.
In c. 545 BCE, Sparta gained revenge on Argos, but shortly thereafter, lost a battle with Tegea. It tried to broaden its horizons by creating an alliance with Lydia, through its leader, Croesus, and sent an expedition in c. 525 BCE against Polycrates of Samos.
Around 505 BCE, due to instability in the region, a group was formed by Corinth, Tegea, Elis, and other states as they swore to have the same enemies and allies as Sparta. It was called the Peloponnesian League, which gave Sparta domination over the region. Argos was never included in this group.
In 494 – 493 BCE, the Spartans, under the leadership of Agiad King Cleomenes I, attacked the city of Argos, which was defended by Telilla and her army of women.
In c. 490 BCE, Leonidas becomes one of Sparta’s two kings, and in August 480 BCE, led 300 Spartans along with other allies in Athens in the Battle at Thermopylae against the Persians with Xerxes I at the helm. He and his troops tried to hold the Persians down for three days, but were ultimately defeated, and King Leonidas died in the battle.
Around 460 to 445 BCE, Sparta’s rivalry with Athens developed into the First Peloponnesian Wars, wherein Sparta won at the Battle of Tanagra in 457 BCE. In 432 BCE, Sparta declared that Athens had overdrawn the Thirty Years’ Peace, and so, the Second Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 to 404 BCE, which involved the whole of Greece.
In 420 BCE, Sparta was excluded from the Olympic Games for breaking the ekecheiria or sacred truce. During this period, they allowed athletes, artists, their families, and pilgrims to safely participate and attend the games, then go back afterward to their countries.
From 396 to 387 BCE, Sparta was once again involved in the Corinthian Wars with Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and Persia, which resulted in the King’s Peace, where Sparta surrendered its empire to Persia, but dominated Greece.
In 420 B.C.E. Sparta was excluded from the Olympic Games for breaking the ekecheiria or sacred truce, wherein this period allowed athletes, artists, their families and pilgrims to safely participate and attend the games then go back afterward to their countries.
From 396 B.C.E. to 387 B.C.E. Sparta was once again involved in the Corinthian Wars with Athens, Thebes, Corinth and Persia, which resulted in the “King’s Peace” where Sparta surrendered its empire to Persia but dominated Greece.
In 371 B.C.E. Sparta tried to crush Thebes but failed and lost to the great Theban general Epaminondas at the Battle of Leuctra. They were attacked by Pyrrhus in 272 B.C.E and never regained the glory they once had, instead they were forced to join the Achaean Confederacy in 195 B.C.E. and permitted to leave by the Romans in 147 B.C.E.
The Romans improved Sparta when it became a free city, but it wasn’t for long when the city was sacked by the Visigoth King Alaric in 396 B.C.E.

Important aspects about Sparta

Sparta’s power structure was based on Oligarchy. The state was governed by two hereditary kings of the Agiad and Eurypontid families, both were descendants of Heracles. They were equal in authority – one could not act against the power and political decisions of the other.
Spartan society was concentrated on military training and excellence. Its citizens were tiered as Spartiates—Spartan citizens, full-time soldiers, born into or adopted by a Spartan family, and they enjoyed full rights.
Perioikoi— free, but non-citizen inhabitants, merchants and artisans, could not own land or vote. Helots— state-owned serfs, part of the enslaved, non-Spartan, local population.
All healthy male Spartans are obliged to join the state-sponsored education system, the Agoge, which taught obedience, endurance, courage, and self-control. They started military training at age 7. Spartan men devoted their lives to the state and it came before everything else, including their family.
A Spartan soldier wore a huge bronze helmet, breastplate, and ankle guards, and carried a round shield made of bronze and wood, a long spear, and a sword. They were also known for their long hair and red cloaks.
Marriage was important to Spartans. They were pressured to have male children who would grow up to become warriors. Men who delayed marriage were publicly shamed, while those who had multiple sons were rewarded.
Spartan women were given an important role in the society – to give birth to sons. They also enjoyed status, power, and respect. They received a formal education (separate from boys), engaged in athletic competitions, including javelin throwing and wrestling, and also sang and danced competitively. In addition, they were allowed to own and manage property.
Sparta was not always focused on military services – they also produced some great poets, Alcman and Tyrtaeus. Alcman was known for his light, uplifting festival poems while Tyrtaeus wrote military lyric poems and songs.
Spartan pottery and ivory work were of high-quality. Pottery from Laconia (the main region of Sparta) showed excellent artistry and beauty. Laconian pottery was not only found in and around Sparta, but in countries throughout the world at that time.
Spartan bronze products were viewed as valuable diplomatic gifts because of its excellent quality.
Spartan currency consisted of iron bars, thus making stealing and foreign trade very difficult while also discouraging the accretion of riches.
The religion in Sparta was Polytheism. They believed in not just one God, but many Gods. The primary Gods in ancient Greece were the Olympians lead by the mighty Zeus.

Sparta Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Sparta across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Sparta worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Sparta which was a warrior civilization in ancient Greece and it functioned under an Oligarchy kind of government. Spartan philosophy was positioned on loyalty to the state and military service. It reached the height of its power after overpowering rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BCE). Despite their military expertise, the Spartans’ supremacy was short-lived.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

Sparta Facts
This is Sparta!
Discovering Sparta
I am the Warrior!
Let’s make History!
Identify the Social Hierarchy
The Spartan Soldier
Women Empowerment
Analyze and Discuss
Strong Defense

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Sparta Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 7, 2018

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources

KidsKonnect is a growing library of high-quality, printable worksheets for teachers and homeschoolers.

Home Facts Privacy About Blog Contact Terms

Safe & Secure

We pride ourselves on being a safe website for both teachers and students. KidsKonnect uses a secure SSL connection to encrypt your data and we only work with trusted payment processors Stripe and PayPal.

Display Settings

Welcome to the display settings! Click the "Get Started" button below or use the buttons above to choose which setting(s) you want to change.

Get Started

Select your preferred typeface/font from the list below.

Next Setting

Colour Theme

Select your preferred colour theme.

Select the text size that you find the easiest to read.

Letter Spacing

Line height.

The Great Fire of London was a fire that was so big that it burned nearly all of the buildings in London, with the exception of the Tower of London as that was made from stone, and stone doesn't burn up easily.

All settings are saved automatically and can be changed at any time. What do you think of this feature?

30th April 2020

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was the most advanced civilisation of it’s time. They came up with democracy, the Olympic Games and many scientific discoveries.

Life in Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek houses were usually very small, with all the rooms around the side of the house and a courtyard in the middle. This would keep the house cool during the hottest times of the year.

These houses were made out of hardened mud cut into bricks. There were small windows with wooden shutters closed during the hottest part of the day. The roof was covered in clay tiles.

Men and women sometimes lived in separate parts of the house. The dining room had couches and low tables where you could recline during meals.

Larger houses had many rooms spread across at least two floors. These rooms included bathrooms, a dining room as well as a kitchen.

There were many jobs for both men and women in Ancient Greece. You could become a:

money changer
bard (write poetry and perform it dramatically in public)

Most Ancient Greeks were farmers, so they just ate what they grew. But even if you weren’t a farmer, vegetables were a main part of their diet. Vegetables you could find in Ancient Greece included:

They even ate boiled dandelions and stinging nettles!

As well as vegetables, they also ate food we are familiar with today, such as apples, pears and cherries.

But you can’t talk about Ancient Greek food and forget olives! Olives were, and still are, an important part of the Greek diet. The Greek goddess Athena gave an olive tree to Athens and spread them across Greece. Olives are included in many recipes, and were even crushed and used to power oil lamps.

Ancient Greeks didn’t eat much meat, because they thought it was food of the barbarians. But they did eat fish – multiple varieties were available in the food markets.

Nearly every meal involved some kind of bread – there were at least 50 varieties of it! They also drunk wine, and they even had rules on how to drink it.

The Greek army was made up of ordinary citizens who were trained as soldiers. They fought using spears and shields, which had complex patterns painted onto them.

Ancient Greece had multiple cities, each of which had their own armies, laws and customs. The Spartans are the most well-known army in Greece.

Who were the Spartans?

The Spartans were the army that protected the city of Sparta. Because of it’s highly skilled army, Sparta became the dominant city in Greece. It’s most famous victory was in the city of Troy, where a wooden horse filled with Spartan soldiers was given to the city as a present. Once inside it’s walls, the soldiers came out of the horse and destroyed the city.

Resources you can trust

Athens or Sparta?

Using their knowledge of Ancient Greece and historical research skills, children work out which statements apply to the ancient city of Athens, and which to Sparta. Answers are included.

All reviews

Have you used this resource?

Resources you might like

The UK National Charity for History

Password Sign In

Become a Member | Register for free

Primary History summer resource 2024: the Ancient Greeks

Primary member resource

Add to My HA Add to folder Default Folder [New Folder] Add

Reconsidering the Ancient Greeks

Our free summer resource for 2024 is intended to enhance your subject knowledge about Ancient Greece.

The first article looks at an individual Greek, Pytheas. Often Greece is taught largely as an insular place of city states, but the reality is that Greece was heavily involved in trade and they were great sailors. It is possible to forge links with British history, as Pytheas may well have been the first person to sail completely around the British Isles in 325 B.C.

The second article provides an updated view on a topic taught in practically all primary schools – Sparta. The traditional method is to compare Athens with Sparta, often depicting them as based on opposing values. In this article, Stephen Hodkinson, a former professor of ancient history at the University of Nottingham, challenges this interpretation of Sparta, and in doing so provides many insights into Spartan life and actions.

The hope is that schools may read these articles and see opportunities to add something or amend an activity to provide this broader perspective. We hope that you enjoy reading these articles and have a well-deserved rest over the summer period.

If you find this useful, you might also be interested in our curriculum plan on Ancient Greece and other related HA resources on the topic.

This resource is free and available exclusively to HA members – find out about membership here .

This resource is FREE for Primary HA Members .

HA Members can sign in to access this content or you can Join the HA if you are not already a member.

Fundamentals NEW

Biographies
Compare Countries
World Atlas

ancient Greece

Introduction

Ancient Greek civilization—“the glory that was Greece,” in the words of Edgar Allan Poe —was short-lived and confined to a very small geographic area. Yet it has influenced the growth of Western civilization far out of proportion to its size and duration. In ancient times, Greece was not a country in the modern sense but a collection of several hundred independent cities, each with its surrounding countryside. Since these cities were independent political units, they are known as city-states . In Greek, the word for city-state is polis , and the English word politics comes from it.

The Greece that Poe praised was primarily the city-state of Athens during its golden age in the 5th century bc . The English poet John Milton called Athens “the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence.” Athens was a city-state in which the arts, philosophy, and democracy flourished. It attracted those who wanted to work, speak, and think in an environment of freedom. In the rarefied atmosphere of Athens were born ideas about human nature and political society that are fundamental to the Western world today.

Athens was not all of Greece, however. Sparta , Corinth , Thebes , and Thessalonica were but a few of the many other city-states that existed on the rocky and mountainous peninsula at the southern end of the Balkans. Each city-state vied with the others for power and wealth. These city-states planted Greek colonies in Asia Minor, on many islands in the Aegean Sea, and in southern Italy and Sicily.

The Beginnings of Ancient Greece

The story of ancient Greece began between 1900 and 1600 bc . At that time the Greeks—or Hellenes, as they called themselves—were simple nomadic herdsmen. Their language shows that they were a branch of the Indo-European-speaking peoples. They came from the grasslands east of the Caspian Sea, driving their flocks and herds before them. They entered the peninsula from the north, one small group after another.

The first invaders were the fair-haired Achaeans of whom Homer wrote. The Dorians came perhaps three or four centuries later and subjugated their Achaean kinsmen. Other tribes, the Aeolians and the Ionians, found homes chiefly on the islands in the Aegean Sea and on the coast of Asia Minor .

The land that these tribes invaded—the Aegean Basin—was the site of a well-developed civilization . The people who lived there had cities and palaces. They used gold and bronze and made pottery and paintings.

The Greek invaders were still in the barbarian stage. They plundered and destroyed the Aegean cities. Gradually, as they settled and intermarried with the people they conquered, they absorbed some of the Aegean culture.

Life of the Early Wanderers

Little is known of the earliest stages of Greek settlement. The invaders probably moved southward from their pasturelands along the Danube, bringing their families and primitive goods in rough oxcarts. Along the way they grazed their herds. In the spring they stopped long enough to plant and harvest a single crop. Gradually they settled down to form communities ruled by kings and elders.

The background of the two great Greek epics—the Iliad and the Odyssey —is the background of the Age of Kings ( see Homeric legend ). These epics depict the simple, warlike life of the early Greeks. The Achaeans had excellent weapons and sang stirring songs. Such luxuries as they possessed, however—gorgeous robes, jewelry, elaborate metalwork—they bought from the Phoenician traders.

The Greek City-States and Their Colonies

The Iliad tells how Greeks from many city-states —among them, Sparta , Athens , Thebes , and Argos—joined forces to fight their common foe Troy in Asia Minor ( see Trojan War ). In historical times the Greek city-states were again able to combine when the power of Persia threatened them. However, ancient Greece never became a nation. The only patriotism the ancient Greek knew was loyalty to his city. This seems particularly strange today, as the cities were very small. Athens was probably the only Greek city-state with more than 20,000 citizens.

The city-state was made possible by Mediterranean geography. Because of the mountainous and coastal landscape, every little fishing village had to be able to defend itself against attack from land or sea, because outside help could not reach it easily. A person was thus dependent on his community for physical as well as economic survival. Each city-state was an economic, cultural, and religious organization. Each was also a self-governing community capable of maintaining its independence by enlisting its men as soldiers.

Some Greek city-states were separated by mountain ranges. In many cases, however, a single plain contained several city-states, each surrounding its acropolis, or citadel. These flattopped, inaccessible rocks or mounds are characteristic of Greece and were first used as places of refuge. From the Corinthian isthmus rose the lofty acrocorinthus, from Attica the Acropolis of Athens, from the plain of Argolis the mound of Tiryns, and, loftier still, the Larissa of Argos. On these rocks the Greek cities built their temples and their king’s palace, and their houses clustered about the base.

Only in a few cases did a city-state push its holdings beyond very narrow limits. Athens held the whole plain of Attica, and most of the Attic villagers were Athenian citizens. Argos conquered the plain of Argolis. Sparta made a conquest of Laconia and part of the fertile plain of Messenia. The conquered people were subjects, not citizens. Thebes attempted to be the ruling city of Boeotia but never quite succeeded.

Similar city-states were found all over the Greek world, which had early flung its outposts throughout the Aegean Basin and even beyond. There were Greeks in all the islands of the Aegean. Among these islands was Thasos, famous for its gold mines. Samothrace, Imbros, and Lemnos were long occupied by Athenian colonists. Other Aegean islands colonized by Greeks included Lesbos , the home of the poet Sappho ; Scyros, the island of Achilles ; and Chios, Samos, and Rhodes . Also settled by Greeks were the nearer-lying Cyclades—so called (from the Greek word for “circle”) because they encircled the sacred island of Delos—and the southern island of Crete .

The western shores of Asia Minor were fringed with Greek colonies, reaching out past the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) and the Bosporus to the northern and southern shores of the Euxine, or Black, Sea. In Africa there were, among others, the colony of Cyrene, now the site of a town in Libya, and the trading post of Naucratis in Egypt. Sicily too was colonized by the Greeks, and there and in southern Italy so many colonies were planted that this region came to be known as Magna Graecia (Great Greece). Pressing farther still, the Greeks founded the city of Massilia, now Marseille , France.

The mountainous terrain of ancient Greece made travel by land difficult, but the city-states were all located on or near the sea. Many were seafaring societies, sailing to nearby and distant coasts to establish new colonies and trading outposts. The Greek city-states traded with other city-states as well as Greek colonies and other entities along the Mediterranean and Black seas, including Phoenicia , Egypt , and Sicily. The Greeks did not have enough farmland suitable for growing grains, so they imported wheat, especially from what is now Ukraine, to feed their growing populations. Through trade they also obtained slaves, luxury goods, timber, metals, and medicinal plants. Grapes and olives flourished on Greek soil, so the city-states exported wine and olive oil as well as fine pottery, honey, textiles, and silver. Athens in particular conducted a busy trade, and its profits allowed it to build a great navy and formidable city walls.

Separated by barriers of sea and mountain, by local pride and jealousy, the various independent city-states never conceived the idea of uniting the Greek-speaking world into a single political unit. They formed alliances only when some powerful city-state embarked on a career of conquest and attempted to make itself mistress of the rest. Many influences made for unity—a common language, a common religion, a common literature, similar customs, the religious leagues and festivals, the Olympic Games —but even in time of foreign invasion it was difficult to induce the cities to act together.

Various Types of Government

The government of many city-states, notably Athens, passed through four stages from the time of Homer to historical times. During the 8th and 7th centuries bc the kings disappeared. Monarchy gave way to oligarchy—that is, rule by a few. The oligarchic successors of the kings were the wealthy landowning nobles, the “eupatridae,” or wellborn. However, the rivalry among these nobles and the discontent of the oppressed masses was so great that soon a third stage appeared.

The third type of government was known as tyranny. Some eupatrid would seize absolute power, usually by promising the people to right the wrongs inflicted upon them by the other landholding eupatridae. He was known as a “tyrant.” Among the Greeks this was not a term of reproach but merely meant one who had seized kingly power without the qualification of royal descent. The tyrants of the 7th century were a stepping-stone to democracy , or the rule of the people, which was established nearly everywhere in the 6th and 5th centuries. It was the tyrants who taught the people their rights and power.

By the beginning of the 5th century bc , Athens had gone through these stages and emerged as the first democracy in the history of the world. Between two and three centuries before this, the Athenian kings had made way for officials called “archons,” elected by the nobles. Thus an aristocratic form of government was established.

About 621 bc an important step in the direction of democracy was taken, when the first written laws in Greece were compiled from the existing traditional laws. This reform was forced by the peasants to relieve them from the oppression of the nobles. The new code was so severe, however, that the adjective draconian , derived from the name of the code’s compiler, Draco, is still a synonym for “harsh.” Unfortunately, Draco’s code did not give the peasants sufficient relief. A revolution was averted only by the wise reforms of Solon , about a generation later. Solon’s reforms only delayed the overthrow of the aristocracy. About 561 bc Pisistratus, supported by the discontented populace, made himself tyrant. With two interruptions, Pisistratus ruled for more than 30 years, fostering commerce, agriculture, and the arts and laying the foundation for much of Athens’ future greatness. His sons Hippias and Hipparchus attempted to continue their father’s power. One of them was slain by two youths, Harmodius and Aristogiton, who lived on in Greek tradition as themes for sculptors and poets. By the reforms of Clisthenes, about 509 bc , the rule of the people was firmly established.

Very different was the course of events in Sparta , which by this time had established itself as the most powerful military state in Greece. Under the strict laws of Lycurgus it had maintained its primitive monarchical form of government with little change. Nearly the whole of the Peloponnesus had been brought under its iron heel, and it was now jealously eyeing the rising power of its democratic rival in central Greece.

During this period the intellectual and artistic culture of the Greeks centered among the Ionions of Asia Minor. Thales , called “the first Greek philosopher,” was a citizen of Miletus. He became famous for predicting an eclipse of the Sun in 585 bc .

Suddenly there loomed in the east a power that threatened to sweep away the whole promising structure of the new European civilization. Persia , the great Asian empire of the day, had been awakened to the existence of the free peoples of Greece by the aid which the Athenians had sent to their oppressed kinsmen in Asia Minor. The Persian empire mobilized its gigantic resources in an effort to conquer the Greek city-states. The scanty forces of the Greeks succeeded in driving out the invaders ( see Persian Wars ).

Athens’s Rise to Power

From this momentous conflict Athens emerged a blackened ruin yet the richest and most powerful city-state in Greece. It owed this position chiefly to the shrewd policies of the statesman Themistocles , who had seen that naval strength, not land strength, would in the future be the key to power. “Whoso can hold the sea has command of the situation,” he said. He persuaded his fellow Athenians to build a strong fleet—larger than the combined fleets of all the rest of Greece—and to fortify the harbor at Piraeus.

The Athenian fleet became the instrument by which the Persians were finally defeated, at the battle of Salamis in 480 bc . The fleet also enabled Athens to dominate the Aegean area. Within three years after Salamis, Athens had united the Greek cities of the Asian coast and of the Aegean islands into a confederacy for defense against Persia. It was called the Delian League because the treasury was at first on the island of Delos. In another generation this confederacy became an Athenian empire.

Almost at a stride Athens was transformed from a provincial city into an imperial capital. Wealth beyond the dreams of any other Greek state flowed into its coffers—tribute from subject and allied states, customs duties on the flood of commerce that poured through Piraeus, and revenues from the Attic silver mines. The population increased fourfold or more, as foreigners streamed in to share in the prosperity. The learning that had been the creation of a few “wise men” throughout the Greek world now became fashionable. Painters and sculptors vied in beautifying Athens with the works of their genius. Even today, battered and defaced by time and people, these art treasures remain among the greatest surviving achievements of human skill. The period in which Athens flourished, one of the most remarkable and brilliant in the world’s history, reached its culmination in the age of Pericles , 460–430 bc . Under the stimulus of wealth and power, with abundant leisure and free institutions, the citizen body of Athens attained a higher average of intellectual interests than any other society before or since.

Athenian Democracy

As the birthplace of democracy , Athens has served as an inspiration to numerous other societies—to other city-states in ancient Greece and later to countries throughout the world. The word democracy comes from Greek words meaning “rule by the people.” The city-state was a small enough unit for the establishment of a direct democracy, in which the people gathered together in an assembly to decide matters of policy and law themselves. This form of democracy is different from the representative democracy practiced in most places today, where the populations are much larger. In a representative democracy, the citizens choose a smaller group of people to represent them in the legislature and pass laws on their behalf.

Rule by the people was a radical idea in the ancient Greek world. It is important to note, however, that only a small portion of Athens’s residents could actually take part in the democracy. Participation was limited to adult male citizens—perhaps about 12 percent of the population. Women, minors (children), slaves, and foreign residents were excluded from political life.

There was no president or prime minister of Athens. In the democratic era, the chief officials known as archons were chosen by lot. The heart of the Athenian government was the Assembly (the Ecclesia), which met almost weekly on the Pnyx, a hill west of the Acropolis. It decided the city-state’s laws and policies. All adult male citizens of Athens could participate in the Assembly, though typically only about 5,000 of the 30,000 or so eligible men attended. After discussion that was open to all members, a vote was taken. As in many later assemblies, voting was by a show of hands. The votes of a majority of those present and voting prevailed; this practice would be adopted by many later democracies.

The agenda of the Assembly was set by a body known as the Council of Five Hundred. Unlike the Assembly, it was composed of representatives. The 500 members of the Council were ordinary male citizens who were chosen by lot to represent their district for a one-year term. Each district was allotted a certain number of representatives in rough proportion to its population. The Council’s use of representatives (though chosen by lot rather than by election) foreshadowed the election of representatives in later democratic systems.

Another important political institution in Athens was the popular courts. All male citizens over 30 years of age could be chosen to be jurors, who were selected by lot. The popular courts are a further illustration of the extent to which the ordinary citizens of Athens were expected to participate in the political life of the city.

Slavery in Ancient Greece

It must be remembered, however, that a very large part of the population was not free, that the Athenian state rested on a foundation of slavery . Two-fifths (some authorities say four-fifths) of the population were slaves. Slave labor produced much of the wealth that gave the citizens of Athens time and money to pursue art and learning and to serve the state.

Slavery in Greece was a peculiar institution. When a city was conquered, its inhabitants were often sold as slaves. Kidnapping boys and men in “barbarian,” or non-Greek, lands and even in other Greek city-states was another steady source of supply. If a slave was well educated or could be trained to a craft, he was in great demand.

An Athenian slave often had a chance to obtain his freedom, for quite frequently he was paid for his work, and this gave him a chance to save money. After he had bought his freedom or had been set free by a grateful master, he became a metic —a resident alien. Many of the slaves, however, had a miserable lot. They were sent in gangs to the silver mines at Laurium, working in narrow underground corridors by the dim light of little lamps.

Daily Life in the Age of Pericles

Although slavery freed the Athenians from drudgery, they led simple lives. They ate two meals a day, usually consisting of bread, vegetable broth, fruit, and wine. Olives, olive oil, and honey were common foods. Cheese was often eaten in place of meat. Fish was a delicacy.

The two-story houses of the Athenians were made of sun-dried brick and stood on narrow, winding streets. Even in the cold months the houses were heated only with a brazier, or dish, of burning charcoal. The houses had no chimneys, only a hole in the roof to let out the smoke from the stove in the tiny kitchen. There were no windows on the first floor, but in the center of the house was a broad, open court, such as is found in Spanish and Chinese homes today. Clustered about the court were the men’s apartment, the women’s apartment, and tiny bedrooms. There was no plumbing. Refuse was thrown in the streets.

The real life of the city went on outdoors. The men spent their time talking politics and philosophy in the agora, or marketplace. They exercised in the athletic fields, performed military duty, and took part in state festivals. Some sat in the Assembly or the Council of 500 or served on juries. There were 6,000 jurors on call at all times in Athens, for the allied cities were forced to bring cases to Athens for trial. Daily salaries were paid for jury service and service on the Council. These made up a considerable part of the income of the poorer citizens.

The women stayed at home, spinning and weaving and doing household chores. They never acted as hostesses when their husbands had parties and were seen in public only at the theater—where they might attend tragedy but not comedy—and at certain religious festivals.

The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC)

The growth of Athenian power aroused the jealousy of Sparta and other independent Greek states and the discontent of Athens’s subject states. The result was a war that put an end to the power of Athens. The long struggle, called the Peloponnesian War , began in 431 bc . It was a contest between a great sea power, Athens and its empire, and a great land power, Sparta and the military coalition it led, called the Peloponnesian League.

The plan of Pericles in the beginning was not to fight at all, but to let Corinth and Sparta spend their money and energies while Athens conserved both. He had all the inhabitants of Attica come inside the walls of Athens and let their enemies ravage the plain year after year, while Athens, without losses, harried their lands by sea. However, the bubonic plague broke out in besieged and overcrowded Athens. It killed one-fourth of the population, including Pericles, and left the rest without spirit and without a leader. The first phase of the Peloponnesian War ended with the outcome undecided.

Almost before they knew it, the Athenians were whirled by the unscrupulous politician Alcibiades , a nephew of Pericles, into the second phase of the war (414–404 bc ). Wishing for a brilliant military career, Alcibiades persuaded Athens to undertake a large-scale expedition against Syracuse, a Corinthian colony in Sicily. The Athenian armada was destroyed in 413 bc , and the captives were sold into slavery.

This disaster sealed the fate of Athens. The allied Aegean cities that had remained faithful to Athens now deserted to Sparta, and the Spartan armies laid Athens under siege. In 405 bc the whole remaining Athenian fleet of 180 triremes (oar-powered three-decked warships) was captured in the Hellespont at the battle of Aegospotami. Besieged by land and powerless by sea, Athens could neither raise grain nor import it, and in 404 bc its empire came to an end. The fortifications and long walls connecting Athens with Piraeus were destroyed, and Athens became a vassal, or subject state, of triumphant Sparta.

The End of the Greek City-States

Sparta tried to maintain its supremacy by keeping garrisons in many of the Greek cities. This custom, together with Sparta’s hatred of democracy, made its domination unpopular. At the battle of Leuctra, in 371 bc , the Thebans under their gifted commander Epaminondas put an end to the power of Sparta. Theban leadership was short-lived, however, for it depended on the skill of Epaminondas. When he was killed in the battle of Mantinea, in 362 bc , Thebes had really suffered a defeat in spite of its apparent victory. The age of the powerful city-states was at an end, and a prostrated Greece had become easy prey for a would-be conqueror.

Such a conqueror was found in the young and strong country of Macedon, which lay just to the north of Classical Greece. Its King Philip II , who came into power in 360 bc , had had a Greek education. Seeing the weakness of the disunited cities, he made up his mind to take possession of the Greek world. Demosthenes saw the danger that threatened and by a series of fiery speeches against Philip sought to unite the Greeks as they had once been united against Persia.

The military might of Philip proved too strong for the disunited city-states, and at the battle of Chaeronea (338 bc ) he established his leadership over Greece. Before he could carry his conquests to Asia Minor, however, he was killed and his power fell to his son Alexander , then not quite 20 years old. Alexander firmly entrenched his rule throughout Greece and then overthrew the vast power of Persia, building up an empire that embraced nearly the entire world known to the Mediterranean peoples. Alexander’s conquest of the Greek city-states spread Greek ideas and culture widely throughout the empire.

The Hellenistic Age and Roman Conquest

The three centuries that followed the death of Alexander are known as the Hellenistic Age, for their products were no longer pure Greek, but Greek plus the characteristics of the conquered nations. The age was a time of great wealth and splendor. Art, science, and letters flourished and developed. The private citizen no longer lived crudely, but in a beautiful and comfortable house, and many cities adorned themselves with fine public buildings and sculptures.

The Hellenistic Age came to an end with another conquest—that of Rome . On the field of Cynoscephalae (“dogs’ heads”), in Thessaly, the Romans defeated Macedonia in 197 bc and gave the Greek cities their freedom as allies. The Greeks caused Rome a great deal of trouble, and in 146 bc Corinth was burned. The Greeks became vassals of Rome. Athens alone was revered and given some freedom. To its schools went many Romans, Cicero among them.

When the seat of the Roman Empire was transferred to the east, Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) became the center of culture and learning and Athens sank to the position of an unimportant country town ( see Byzantine Empire ). In the 4th century ad Greece was devastated by the Visigoths under Alaric; in the 6th century it was overrun by the Slavs; and in the 10th century it was raided by the Bulgars. In 1453 the Turks seized Constantinople, and within a few years practically all Greece was in their hands. Only in the 19th century, after a protracted struggle against their foreign rulers, did the Greeks finally regain their independence.

The Heritage of the Ancient Greeks

The glorious culture of the Greeks had its beginnings before the rise of the city-states to wealth and power and survived long after the Greeks had lost their independence. The men of genius who left their stamp on the golden age of Greece seemed to live a life apart from the tumultuous politics and wars of their era. They sprang up everywhere, in scattered colonies as well as on the Greek peninsula. When the great creative age had passed its peak, Greek artists and philosophers were sought as teachers in other lands, where they spread the wisdom of their masters.

What were these ideas for which the world reached out so eagerly? First was the determination to be guided by reason, to follow the truth wherever it led. In their sculpture and architecture, in their literature and philosophy, the Greeks were above all else reasonable. “Nothing to excess” ( meden agan ) was their central doctrine, a doctrine that the Roman poet Horace later interpreted as “the golden mean.”

The art of the Greeks was singularly free from exaggeration. Virtue was for them a path between two extremes—only by temperance, they believed, could humankind attain happiness. Since this belief included maintaining a balanced life of the mind and body, they provided time for play as well as work ( see Olympic Games ).

From Homer to Aristotle

This many-sided culture seemed to spring into being almost full-grown. Before the rise of the Greek city-states, Babylon had made contributions to astronomy, and the rudiments of geometry and medicine had been developed in Egypt. The genius of the Greeks, however, owed little to these ancient civilizations. Greek culture had its beginnings in the settlements on the coast of Asia Minor. Here Homer sang of a joyous, conquering people and of their gods , who, far from being aloof and forbidding, were always ready to come down from Mount Olympus to play a part in the absorbing life of the people. Philosophy was also born in Asia Minor, where in the 6th and 5th centuries bc such men as Thales , Heracleitus, and Democritus speculated on the makeup of the world. Thales also contributed to the science of geometry, which was further advanced by the teacher and mathematician Pythagoras in the distant colony of Croton in southern Italy.

In the 5th century bc , with the rise of Athens as a wealthy democratic state, the center of Greek culture passed to the peninsula. Here the Greeks reached the peak of their extraordinary creative energy. This was the great period of Greek literature , architecture , and sculpture , a period that reached its culmination in the age of Pericles . Philosophers now turned their thoughts from the study of matter to the study of humankind.

Toward the end of the century Socrates ushered in what is considered to be the most brilliant period of Greek philosophy, passing on his wisdom to his pupil Plato . Plato in turn handed it on to “the master of those who know,” the great Aristotle .

The Progress of Science in the Hellenistic Age

Alexander died in 323 bc . The spread of Greek learning that resulted from his conquests, however, laid the foundation for much of the cultural progress of the Hellenistic Age. Alexandria , the city founded by Alexander at the mouth of the Nile River in Egypt, became the intellectual capital of the world and a center of Greek scholarship. Its famous library, founded by Ptolemy I, was said to have contained 700,000 rolls of papyrus manuscripts.

In literature and art the Hellenistic Age was imitative, looking to the masterpieces of earlier days for inspiration. In science, however, much brilliant and original work was done. Archimedes put mechanics on a sound footing, and Euclid established geometry as a science. Eratosthenes made maps and calculated Earth’s circumference.

Aristarchus put forward the hypothesis that Earth revolves around the Sun. Ptolemy , or Claudius Ptolemaeus, believed all the heavenly bodies circled Earth, and his views prevailed throughout the Middle Ages.

How Greek Culture Survived

The Hellenistic Age ended with the establishment of the Roman Empire in 31 bc . The Romans borrowed from the art and science of the Greeks and drew upon their philosophy of Stoicism . As Christianity grew and spread, it was profoundly influenced by Greek thought. Throughout the period of the barbarian invasions, Greek learning was preserved by Christians in Constantinople and by Muslims in Cairo, Egypt. Its light shone again in the Middle Ages with the founding of the great universities in Italy, France, and England. During the Renaissance it provided an impetus for the rebirth of art and literature. Modern science rests on the Greek idea of humankind’s capacity to solve problems by rational methods. In almost every phase of life the quickening impulse of Greek thought can be seen among the peoples who inherited this priceless legacy. ( See also ancient civilization ; Greek and Roman art ; Greek religion .)

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!

The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages.
Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops.
Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.
A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar.
And so much more!

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma

Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar.

Privacy Notice
Terms of Use

Lewis & Clark Middle School

In This Section

About the library, library expectations, checkout, return, renewal, chromebooks and chargers.

LCMS Library Behavior Policy follows the behavior policies of the LC Student Handbook .

Food and Drink - Students may not eat in the LCMS Library at any time, except with librarian permission.

Lost/Damaged Library Materials - If a student suspects they may have lost a book, please see Mrs. Rice as soon as possible. Many times, the book has been returned. Please see Mrs. Rice with damaged books. Mrs. Rice is a book wizard and can often repair damage!

Checkout - All students are allowed to checkout 3 books for 4 weeks.

Returns - Books can be returned to the dropbox in the hallway or in the library before, during, and after school.

Renewals - Students may renew their books up to 3 times.

Printing services are available on a limited basis.

Students may print in black and white from the "print cubby" in the library. To maximize resources, we ask that printing is limited to school work only.

Color printing is available for $.25 per page and can be printed by sharing your document or image with Mrs. Rice.

Chromebooks are available for checkout.

Students may checkout Chromebooks for day use only. Please make all efforts to bring your own!

For Chromebook repair, please see Mrs. Rice for support.

Online Catalog

SORA - ebooks and Audiobooks

Enter your student ID to check out both ebooks and audiobooks

World Book Online

RESEARCH DATABASES - SENIOR HIGH

Book Holds To place a hold, click on the link above and fill out the form.

When the book is available, Mrs. Rice or a student aide will deliver it to you!

Tutorial - How to access Sora from your Chromebook

Library Resources

Research projects, online reading, other libraries, class research projects, egyptian pharaohs, mesopotamian empires, egyptian mythology, ancient greece: athens v. sparta.

Pharaoh Khufu: The Pyramid Builder

Pharaoh Senusret I: Patron of the Arts

Pharaoh Hatshepsut: Promoter of Egyptian Trade

Pharaoh Ramses II: Military Leader and Master Builder

King Tutankhaten

Pharaohs: British Museum

Pharaohs - Kings and Queens: Discovering Egypt

Egyptian Dynasties: Ancient Civilizations

Pharaohs: Ducksters

Ancient Egypt: Smithsonian (use the search glass for imagery related to your pharaoh)

Egyptian Pharaohs: DK History

National Geographic: The Assyrian Empire

The History Channel: Mesopotamia

Khan Academy: Ancient Mesopotamian Civilizations

World History Encyclopedia: Mesopotamia

Lumen Learning: The Akkadian Empire

Khan Academy: The Sumerians and Mesopotamia

World Book Searches:

Mesopotamia
Hanging Gardens of Babylon

For this group project, each student will research three of the following Egyptian gods or goddesses:

Maâ€™at (Maat)

Ra (Amun Ra or Re)

Ancient Egypt – Gods and Goddesses from the British Museum

Ancient Egyptian Gods Gallery from BBC Ancient history in-depth

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt from the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Egyptian Gods - from History for Kids

Ancient Egypt: Ancient Egyptian Gods

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt - from National Geographic

Ancient Egypt Gods and Goddesses

A-Z Names of Egyptian Gods

Ancient Egyptian Gods for Kids

Ancient Egypt from the University of Manchester

World Book Search Specific God or Goddess

Books - NonFiction

Ancient Egypt, Hart, George, 1945-

Ancient Egypt, Hart, George, 1945- author

Egypt, Bodden, Valerie, author

Treasury of Egyptian mythology : classic stories of gods, goddesses, monsters & mortals, Napoli, Donna Jo, 1948-

Egyptian mythology A to Z : a young reader's companion, Remler, Pat

Books - Fiction (for further reading)

The throne of fire : the graphic novel, Collar, Orpheus, ill
The serpent's shadow, Riordan, Rick
The throne of fire, Riordan, Rick

Ancient Greece Research

Ancient greece.

World Book Online: Ancient Greece

BBC: Who were the Ancient Greeks?

The British Museum: Explore the Acropolis

The British Museum: Greek Gods and Goddesses

Ducksters: Greek city-states

BBC: How did the Olympic Games begin?

History for Kids: Guide to Ancient Greece

World Book Online: Athens

Ducksters: Athens

Athens: Facts About the Greek City-State

Mr Donn: Athens Democracy

Mr. Donn: Athens

Social Studies for Kids: Athens and Sparta

World Book Online: Sparta

Sparta: Facts About the City-State

Ducksters: Sparta

Primary Homework Help: Sparta

Mr. Donn: Sparta

YALSA - Teen Book Finder Database

Google Books

Storyline Online - Listen to a story 24 hours a day!

Billings Public Library

Montana State Library

MSU Billings Library

Montana Historical Society

Library of Congress

Ancient Greece

by Mandy Barrow




		Slaves

Men had a much better life in Ancient Greece than women. Only men could be full citizens. Only men made the important decisions. Normally, only men fought in armies, took part in sports and met in public.

Spartan women were taught reading and writing and skills to protect themselves in battle. They had more freedom than women and girls living in Athens. As well as looking after the house, making clothes

Women in Athens were taught skills they would need to run a home such as cooking and weaving. They were expected to look after the home, make the clothes, and bear children.

Roles of Men, Women, and Children

Only in the poorest homes were women expected to carry out all the duties by herself. Most homes had female slaves who cooked cleaned and collected fresh water every day.

There were also male slaves. Their responsibilities included protecting the home and tutoring male children.

Girls had to do exactly as their father told them and this included marrying the man their father chose for them.

Even when married, a women was not free. She had to do as her husband wished. She was not allowed out on her own and was not often seen by people other than her own family.

- please read
All the materials on these pages are free for homework and classroom use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on or without written permission from the author Mandy Barrow.

Follow me on Twitter @mbarrow

Woodlands Junior School, Hunt Road Tonbridge Kent TN10 4BB UK

Primary homework help athens and sparta

Primary homework help sparta, sparta primary homework help, primary homework help greece sparta, primary homework help athens.

ingrid oliveira sex
holly marie combs pussy peaks
who owns project voyeur
nuda man free hairy gay

primary homework help sparta

IMAGES

VIDEO

COMMENTS

Ancient Greece

Literary Devices

Women’s History

American Revolution

Ancient History

World History

Famous Wars

Civil Rights

Natural Wonders

Landmarks/Sights

September Topics

Social Emotional Learning

Celebrations

Remembrance

Marine Life

Insects/Invertebrates/Reptiles

Natural World

Earth Sciences

Chemistry/Physics

Sparta Facts & Worksheets

Download the Sparta Facts & Worksheets

Download This Worksheet

Edit This Worksheet

Download This Sample

Key Facts & Information

Significant Events

Important aspects about Sparta

Sparta Worksheets

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

Link/cite this page

Related Resources

Safe & Secure

Display Settings

Colour Theme

Letter Spacing

Ancient Greece

Life in Ancient Greece

Who were the Spartans?

Athens or Sparta?

All reviews

Resources you might like

Primary History summer resource 2024: the Ancient Greeks

Reconsidering the Ancient Greeks

This resource is FREE for Primary HA Members .

ancient Greece

Introduction

The Beginnings of Ancient Greece

Life of the Early Wanderers

The Greek City-States and Their Colonies

Various Types of Government

Athens’s Rise to Power

Athenian Democracy

Slavery in Ancient Greece

Daily Life in the Age of Pericles

The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC)

The End of the Greek City-States

The Hellenistic Age and Roman Conquest

The Heritage of the Ancient Greeks

From Homer to Aristotle

The Progress of Science in the Hellenistic Age

How Greek Culture Survived

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

In This Section

World Book Online

Library Resources

Ancient Greece Research

Primary homework help athens and sparta

Recent Comments

IMAGES

VIDEO

COMMENTS